Marketing Communication Concepts Quiz

Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC)

• IMC is the process marketers use to plan, develop, execute, and evaluate coordinated brand communication programs over time to targeted audiences.
• Consumers interact with brands in various ways, needing consistent messages across all touchpoints.
• Multichannel promotion strategies combine traditional and digital communication.

Traditional Communication Model

• A "one-to-many" approach where a single marketer sends messages to many consumers simultaneously.
• Includes traditional mass media (TV, radio, magazines, newspapers), out-of-home ads (billboards), and digital assets.
• Benefits from consumer sales promotions (coupons, samples, contests), and public relations.

Many-to-Many Model

• Emphasizes social media and word-of-mouth communication.
• Consumers actively share information and recommendations with each other.
• Marketers use buzz-building activities, viral marketing, social media platforms, brand communities, and product review sites.

Communication Process

• The process of transferring meaning from a source to a receiver.
• Key elements include the source, message, medium, receiver, noise, and feedback.

Source

• The organization or individual sending the message.
• Encodes the idea into a physically perceivable form (e.g., a TV commercial).
• May use various forms to convey meaning (words, music, celebrities, customers).

Message

• The actual content of the communication.

Medium

• The communication vehicle that reaches the target audience.
• Choices include TV, radio, social media, websites, billboards, or product packaging.

Receiver

• The individual or organization receiving the message.
• Decodes the message to understand the sender's intent.

Noise

• Anything that interferes with effective communication.
• Can occur at any stage of communication process.

Feedback

• The receiver's response to the message.
• The best feedback in marketing is a purchase.

Web 2.0 Communication

• The "many-to-many" model of communication.
• Marketers create messages for specific individuals (personalized ads) or reach millions instantaneously.
• Modified traditional models (one-to-many, one-to-one).

Outbound Marketing

• Messages originate from the organization and intended for recipients who agreed to receive them.
• Examples include advertisements and publicity.

Inbound Marketing

• Messages come to the organization from others via links, online searches, or content requests.
• Maximizes organic contact from the consumer and uses feedback to improve marketing strategies.

Promotion Planning

• Step 1: Identify Target Audience(s): Consider the intended customer and stakeholders influencing them.
• Step 2: Establish Communication Objectives: Use quantitative objectives for specific targets and timeframes (e.g., awareness, trial, loyalty).
• Step 3: Determine and Allocate the Marketing Communication Budget: Techniques include top-down (percentage-of-sales, competitive-parity) and bottom-up(objective-task) budgeting..
• Step 4: Design the Promotion Mix: Integrate appropriate communication tools from the promotional mix along with consistent brand messaging across channels.
• Step 5: Evaluate the Effectiveness of the Communication Program: Use various methods like sales volume and brand image assessments to evaluate a campaign's success.

Advertising

• Paid, non-personal communication from an identified sponsor.

Types of Advertising

• Product Advertising: Focuses on a specific product or service.
• Institutional Advertising: Promotes a company as a whole, not individual products. Can be corporate, advocacy, or public service ads to promote public interest.
• Local/Retail Advertising: Used to encourage consumers to visit retail locations or purchase specific products.

Advertising Campaign Development

• Step 1: Understand Target Audience: Understanding the consumers' needs and desires.
• Step 2: Establish Message and Budget Objectives: Defining the message and setting a budget.
• Step 3: Create the Ads: Developing the ads while focusing on the creative brief and strategy.
• Step 4: Pretest What the Ads Will Say: Getting client feedback and refining the message before launch.
• Step 5: Choose Media Types and Media Schedule: Selecting the best media channels and creating a schedule.
• Step 6: Evaluate the Advertising: Assessing the campaign's performance and its impact.

Sales Promotion

• Programs designed to build interest or encourage immediate product purchase during a specific time.

Direct Marketing

• Communication with a recipient to prompt a direct response (order, information, visit).
• Includes mail order (catalogs, direct mail), telemarketing, direct-response advertising, and m-commerce (mobile).

Multichannel Promotion

• Combining traditional and digital advertising methods.
• Provides broader reach and stronger impact for a brand.

Ethical Issues in Advertising

• Advertising is frequently critiqued for being manipulative, deceptive, or offensive.
• Concerns include ethical considerations such as misleading information or falsely advertised claims.

Additional Media Types

• Place-based media: Includes advertisements in public spaces, like airports and shopping malls.
• Directory advertising: Primarily used by businesses to connect with potential consumers.
• Out-of-home media: Includes billboards, street furniture, and transit ads (buses, trains).
• Digital media: Wide range of digital formats including websites, email, and social media.
• Content marketing: Providing valuable content (blogs, videos, articles) to encourage engagement and create trust with potential consumers.
• Native advertising: Advertising that matches the content of the site it is placed on.
• Branded entertainment: Integrating brands into entertainment.
• Advergaming: Integrating brands and logos into video games.

Media Scheduling

• Continuous: Consistent advertising throughout the year.
• Pulsing: Variable advertising, heavier during periods of higher demand.
• Flighting: Advertising in specific periods of higher demand.